


A Slight Detour

by wardenariana



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Banter, Budding Love, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Smut, Uh oh two characters in a small space, What could possibly happen, no not like that, ok maybe a little like that, there's a lot of wood involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:35:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29910147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wardenariana/pseuds/wardenariana
Summary: For @arthoela on Twitter, from a banter prompt she kindly provided. It's already been an intense and long journey for our Wardens, and Tea wants nothing more than to relax. Unfortunately she and Alistair are out collecting firewood, which is anything but relaxing. Perhaps a slight detour will do a little to relieve another kind of tension?
Relationships: Alistair/Cousland (Dragon Age), Alistair/Female Cousland (Dragon Age), Alistair/Female Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Warden (Dragon Age)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	A Slight Detour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vihoela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vihoela/gifts).



> Vi was wonderful enough to provide me with a playlist to help me get into the mindset for Alistair and Tea, which you can find here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qJW1vNWtUGQhdjiYgY839

It felt like it had been an age since Tea had experienced any kind of luxury, and right now all she could think about were the hot baths she’d take after a long day of training, or the incredible tension relieving massages the trainers would provide after a particularly strenuous sparring session. They had taught her several self massage methods but it wasn’t quite the same without the beautiful, aromatic oils they used, and even the notion of thinking back to her old life, even if to recall something so small and simple, was too difficult for her right now. She shuffled slightly, tucking the bundle of twigs and branches under her arm as she reached down to pick up another.

“Oh, you don’t want that!” Alistair called out behind her, and although he couldn’t see her she still forced herself to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. “No, that’s from an alder tree. We must be getting near some marsh land. You see Alder tends to be too moist, definitely a low-quality firewood.” _Low quality firewood?_ _Maker, if the darkspawn aren’t the death of me he certainly will be._

Her companion sauntered up to her side nonchalantly, peering down at her collection of smaller twigs before looking back at his own pile of hefty logs, carefully balanced on his forearms, with an unusual pride. Tea stared back at him blankly. “What you want is some birch!” He continued. “Great heat output  **and** it smells good. You want to look out for the white trunks, you know, like we saw back-”

“I know what birch looks like, Alistair.” She pointedly raised one eyebrow at him.  _ At this rate I might end up being the death of  _ **_him_ ** _.  _ Alistair pretended to ignore her incredulous expression and resumed walking.

“Well, did you know that the Chasind consider it a symbol of love and fertility?” He was in a cocky mood, and was clearly trying to impress her with his knowledge. Why he had chosen trees as the topic to show off his superior intellect, she wasn’t sure. Or maybe he was just determined to annoy her into submission for the fun of it.

“Love and fertility?” Tea picked up another small branch to add to her collection without breaking her step. “My my Alistair, what  **are** you getting at?”

Alistair froze mid step, exactly as she had hoped. “Oh no no.” His voice had lifted in pitch as it often did when he had shoved his large feet into his even bigger mouth. He spun on the spot, his cloak swishing around his calves dramatically. The wood stack began to topple slightly, flustering him even more as he adjusted so as to not drop anything. “I uh, ah, I wasn't insinuating that, uh-”

“Uh huh.” She strolled past, casually bending down near him to pick up a large chunk of broken white trunk, which she added to the pile in his arms. “Oh look, birch!” She continued past him and listened eagerly to the sound of clattering wood. He had been struggling for at least five minutes, but had continued to add bigger and bigger pieces to his collection. It was incredibly satisfying to know that she had called his bluff.

“Do you need some help, your highness?” Her body twisted as she walked so she was looking over her shoulder at him, a brilliant smirk lighting her face. “You are to be King, and I am but a humble servant of the crown. I couldn’t possibly leave you to suffer with such a hefty burden.” Tea’s voice dripped with sarcasm, and she wasn’t sure she cared if it was obvious just how pleased with herself she was. Alistair’s face was burning pink as he fumbled, dropping and chipping several pieces, groaning with exasperation. 

“Oh no, don’t do that. If I’m going to have to suffer through being the King then maybe I’ll just have to make you my Queen…” He barely finished the sentence, his brain catching up with the words as they tumbled out.

Tea felt a slight thrill at his challenge. They had both been caught off guard by it, and it had created an uneasy but not unpleasant tension between them. It wasn’t the first time she had felt it, but usually they were at camp, or swapping banter to distract them from whatever grizzly task was at hand. Now, they were alone, with only the trees and the dwindling chirp of distant birds to accompany them.

Instead of addressing him directly, Tea came to a standstill and hummed as if considering the idea.  _ Better to leave him stewing in his own awkwardness for a moment, it’s far too funny.  _ And moreover, Tea was keen to see how he would choose to deal with the situation.

“Why not? You are a noble lady after all. In fact it is  **I** who should be offering to help you, dear maiden. We wouldn’t want you to muddy your nails or mess up your hair now would we?” Had he not been attempting to balance his wooden treasure while walking once again Tea would’ve expected an exaggerated bow.

“Charming.” Now she let him see her roll her eyes at him.

“That’s me! You know what they say. I’m a real…” He paused beside her and tilted his head towards her. “...prince.” His eyes slid to side eye her dramatically. He may as well have given her a clown like wink, and Tea let out a boisterous laugh as though he had, tossing a twig at him playfully as he began to wander away.

“Hey!” The words were drawn out into a childish whine, and Tea was proud to feel like she was back on top. “Well, that’s not very nice is it.”

“So you want me to go back to treating you like a King then?”

“Well, no, but-” Tea threw another twig at him. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, feigning annoyance. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by a spattering of rain falling around them. They looked around themselves with furrowed brows, as if neither had ever experienced rain before and were looking for the source on the forest floor. Then the downpour hit.

“Oh!” Tea cried out, one hand reaching for her hood before realising that she had left her cloak back at camp. Her eyes darted around, searching for a tree large enough to shelter them. Then she spotted the rocky formation ahead. “Over there!” She called to Alistair, gesturing with her head. They were close enough that she shouldn’t need to shout, but the cacophony of rainfall drowned out nearly everything else. “There might be an overhang we can hide under.”

He nodded, and together they jogged towards the mountainous slope. They followed the base for a minute before Alistair sped up ahead of Tea. She followed him into a small opening, something akin to a cave but hardly large enough for the word to be applicable. A bedroll could feasibly fit here, but unless one were to lie with their arms down their side like a plank, chances are they would end up somewhat wet. Not the most spacious of places to wait out the rain, but it was better than being out in it. They gathered all of their wood into the furthest corner and huddled against the rock, staring out into the now soaking woodland beyond.

“Well.” Alistair said after a minute. “This is going well.”

Tea glared at him and his dry face and hair under his thick wool cloak, while she was completely drenched. “For you, maybe.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but you’re right. I was winning.” He pulled a face and looked away as if the burden of his righteousness weighed so heavily on his mind.

“You were absolutely not!” Tea spun round to face him, quick as a whip, mentally preparing some kind of jibe about his failed attempts to impress her, but as the breeze caressed her back, a shiver ran down her spine and out to her extremities.

“Oh! Maker of course, you must be freezing. Here, take this.” Alistair’s voice had shifted out of his jovial tone and he spoke sincerely, his hands reaching to unfasten the ties of his cloak.

“Oh no, that’s really not necessary, I’m fine, honestly.” Tea wanted to move, relax so as to prove her comfort, but in the restricted space all she could do was stand with her arms folded tightly, and clearly Alistair wasn’t convinced. “If you wanted to be a real gentleman you’d maybe share it with me?” Her eyes flicked up to his own, which were darting around nervously, unsure where to look as his cheeks reddened. “Otherwise you’ll just be making me feel bad. Plus it’d just give you something else to complain about.”

It took a moment, but he relaxed, grinning now that he felt less on the spot. “Well, you know me!” He held one arm out slightly, opening the cloak with loosened ties so Tea could slide close enough so a portion of it would drape over her shoulders. “Although I do think I’ll be hard pressed to find something to complain about having to share a cloak with a beautiful woman.”

Alistair was prone to the occasional bout of confidence in his flirtations, but of course always at times that it could be quickly glossed over. It seemed her forwardness was paying off. Despite the cold the storm had brought he was radiating heat, and Tea craved nothing more than to get closer to it, to him. She wondered how much warmer it would feel if she were to touch him. How much it would be still to touch his bare skin.

A sharp intake of breath from Alistair broke her train of thought and she looked up to find him inspecting his forefinger. “Ow.” His face was pulled in a dramatic frown, as though the source of his ire could see his disapproval. “I’ve got a splinter.” 

Tea let out a long sigh and reached for his hand. “Come here.” The splinter was fairly long but not particularly deep. “It’s really not that bad Alistair. Look, I’ll just pull it out.”

He went to pull his hand back, but Tea held it firm. “Uhhh, you know, maybe it’s nothing.”

“Shush. You don’t want it to get infected.” Tea carefully used the tips of her nails to pinch the end of the splinter and ease it out. “There.”

“Well now it hurts even more!”

“Oh don’t be such a baby. Here.” Tea bowed her head slightly and placed a gentle kiss on his finger. All at once she realised what a huge leap she had made with that simple gesture. It had come so easy, she hadn’t really considered how unusual an act it would be. She began to pull away, an apology on the tip of her tongue, when she felt his fingers move in her hand; reaching.

She gazed up at him and loosened the grip on his hand, allowing him to inch closer to her face. His hand cupped her cheek carefully, stroking ever so slightly. It was all Tea could do to not gasp when she felt his thumb stroke the edge of her bottom lip. Alistair was still looking at her, and while his whole face was flushed there was a coolness to his eyes, full of intent. She let her lips part, her lip grazing his thumb in invitation.

His lips were on hers in an instant, and Tea instinctively repositioned herself so she was facing him, close enough that her feet were in between his, and leaned her hips into his own, desperate for the heat of his body and mouth. He moaned into her, a sound that sent ripples through her body more intense than the freezing cold, and as his lips parted her tongue slipped deftly past them, deepening their already heated kiss. His hands moved to rest on the curves of her hips and pull her closer still, seemingly unbothered by the growing hardness in his breeches, while Tea explored the muscles of his chest, shoulders and arms.

The closer he held her and the harder he kissed her the more that Tea felt like she was finally experiencing the real Alistair. Not the boy with a throne forged family history, not the Templar in training with a flagrant attitude problem, nor the sarcastic Warden sown full of so much doubt that he would prefer to follow the order’s newest recruit. He was simply a young man with his own dreams, his own desires, and the will to act on them.

Tea couldn’t help but lean into him even more, pressing her hips tightly against Alistair’s, and he shifted his hands in response, more confidently gripping her waist and pulling her up against his chest. Tea’s hands had begun to roam further down his torso, and she felt his muscles tense and tighten against her touch as she began to trace feather light circles and swirls at his lower abdomen, inching closer to the base of his shirt. Her fingers carefully slid under his shirt, and finally her skin came into contact with his. Almost instantly Alistair’s hands were searching for the base of her own tunic. Tea had been moving deliberately slowly, unsure of his own experience with such encounters, but the urgent pace had returned and her nails grazed his hip bone and along the line of his breeches.

Both were short of breath, desperate pants escaping between what felt like unending kisses, and as Alistair’s hands moved up her tunic to grab at her back Tea loosened his breeches, her hand moving inside. As she gently caressed his now throbbing erection with the palm of her hand Alistair tore his lips away from hers with a gasp. “Oh sweet maker!” His breath was so short he could barely get the words out. “Th-that… feels... amazing.”

A cheeky, lopsided grin spread across Tea’s face, and she tightly bit the corner of her lip and took in the sight of his blushing face, his eyes squeezed shut and brows furrowed as he focussed his senses on her touch. Tea noticed that Alistair had begun to stroke his fingers up and down her back and all she could think about was how it would feel to have those hands touch more of her bare skin. But here in a small cave, in the middle of the forest, in the freezing rain, she knew better than to daydream of ‘coulds’ and ‘woulds’ when she could make the best of the situation before her.

Tea wrapped her hand around his cock, and slid up and down his shaft in slow, loose strokes. Alistair let out an uninhibited sound of pleasure, his head rolling back and his fingers digging into her more pointedly. She moved her thumb to place a gentle pressure on the vein of his cock which she stroked with each slide of her hand. Her hand transitioned into a closer hold, and she began to move with more deliberate pumps, gently squeezing the base before softening her grip towards his head. “Maker’s breath.. Tea…” Alistair cut off his own words as he resumed their kiss, the heat of his desire warming every cold and aching bone in Tea’s body. Suddenly his hands were grabbing her ass, squeezing and massaging and pulling her closer still. The unexpectedly forward move was both surprising and arousing. If Alistair had this in him, who knew what else lay beneath the surface.

As if reading her mind, Alistair dragged his hands over hips, one going further still and tracing across her lower stomach, mimicking her earlier actions. While his movements were faster and clumsier they were still incredibly effective, and Tea felt another surge of heat triggered by her own lust. With her spare hand, Tea unlaced her breeches while Alistair continued to place teasing strokes on her abdomen, getting progressively lower as the ties loosened.

A sudden clatter cut through the sound of their gasping breaths and the blood pounding in their ears, and they prised their lips from one another and looked out into the forest beyond. It was beginning to get darker now, but they could still see well enough. No danger was imminently clear, and neither of them could sense any darkspawn. Both of them could see however, that the storm had passed. Tea snickered nervously. “Heh, probably just a fox or a hare.”

“Yeah.” Alistair replied breathlessly. They were frozen like statues, unsure of what to do.

Tea looked up at him, a sheepish look on her face. “It’s not raining anymore and it’s getting dark. We should probably…”

“Yeah!” Snapping to, Alistair and then Tea removed their hands from each other's trousers and hurriedly laced them up with trembling fingers. “Um. Th- thank you? That was uh… that was nice.”

Tea smirked but did her best to hide it from him. “Nice?”

“Oh Maker, no, not nice. I mean, not that it was not nice, it was better than nice, it was uh-” Alistair’s panic seemed to manifest in his hands as he tried and failed to tie a knot in his breeches.

“Alistair. I’m just kidding.” She shot him a brilliant smile to reassure him. “And you’re welcome.”

“And sorry I didn’t… well, you know. I promise that next time…” His voice trailed off into silence and he stopped straightening his shirt.  _ Next time. _ Tea thought to herself.  _ He wants there to be a next time. _

“You’ve got yourself a deal.  **Your highness** .” Tea did a dramatic curtsey, and for once it was him shaking his head at her.

They smiled at each other, fully making eye contact again, and the ease it brought them both was palpable. They had enjoyed their stolen moment, but more importantly it hadn’t created an uncomfortable atmosphere between them. If anything, they felt  **more** comfortable with each other than they had since they met those short months ago. “So we should...” Tea nodded her head back in the direction they had come.

“Right!” They both scrambled into action, throwing some of the logs under their arms and leaving the rest before rushing back towards the camp.

Finally they came across the large rock formation that they had camped next to, and rounded it into view of the rest of their party.

“Thank goodness, you’re back!” Even when Leliana threw her voice it was still soft and gentle.

“Yeah, yes, sorry, we got, uh, delayed!” Tea called, trying to play it cool, but struggling to get the feeling of Alistair’s skin, the taste of his lips and the sound of his moans out of her mind. As if seeing straight through her lie, Morrigan stood further back from the rest as they approached, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

“Well at least you’re both back safe and sound.” Wynne said standing from the tree stump she had settled on and turning to face them as they came to a stop. “Oh dear.”

“What?” Tea was suddenly worried that somehow everyone knew exactly how they had spent their time.

Wynne gave her a sympathetic smile. “Well that firewood is no good dear. It’s soaking wet.”

Tea stared at the branched tucked under her arm and suddenly felt the damp patches it had made in the sleeve and side of her tunic. Alistair was just as dumbstruck, doing his best to avoid questioning eyes. Everyone was silent for a moment, unsure what to say until Tea let the wood clatter to the ground.

“OH FOR-”


End file.
